Med News Today

Parental Notification Barely Affects Teen Abortion

An analysis by The New York Times shows that states that passed parental notification laws have not seen the sharp decrease in teens seeking abortions that advocates had promised.

For instance, in Tennessee, the abortion rate went down when a federal court suspended a parental consent requirement, then rose when the law went back into effect. In Texas, the rate fell after a notification law went into effect, but not as fast as it did in the years before the law. In Virginia, the rate barely moved when the state introduced a notification law in 1998, but fell after the requirement was changed to parental consent in 2003.

Supporters have maintained that getting parents involved would help pregnant teens make better decisions and understand other options. But it some cases, the opposite is true.

But providers interviewed in 10 states with parental involvement laws all said that of the minors who came into their clinics, parents were more often the ones pushing for an abortion, even against the wishes of their daughters.

posted by nattietodd @ 3:37 AM